


An Egyptian Night

by Journeying_Jane



Series: Alternative Bellas [1]
Category: Twilight Series - All Media Types
Genre: Blackmail, F/M, Mating Bond, Non-Sexual Slavery, Psychological Torture
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-25
Updated: 2020-03-30
Packaged: 2021-02-28 03:13:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 11
Words: 18,356
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22886869
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Journeying_Jane/pseuds/Journeying_Jane
Summary: Alternative Bella's series.One night will change everything when, on a family trip through modern-day Egypt, Edward finds his mate but must face the trauma of torture and manipulation she suffered at the hands of her maker.
Relationships: Edward Cullen/Bella Swan
Series: Alternative Bellas [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1645156
Kudos: 34





	1. The Egyptian Coven

**Author's Note:**

> Unbeta'd. These chapters will be short. Around 1500 words each.

A cool breeze danced through the palm trees as night descended on the desert city. Cairo was fascinating and had changed so much since I had been here with my family in the fifties. After a solid twenty years of schools, degrees, and human charade, the whole family had decided it was time for a break. 

We’d talked of going their separate ways, as the mated couples often did, but Esme, Alice, and surprisingly Emmet had voted for a family vacation which I was silently thankful for, not having a mate to go on a private adventure with. There was much debate and bickering, mostly by Alice and Rosalie, until Carlisle stepped in and a world tour was decided on. Two years of traveling to places old and new, meeting with old friends, and possibly making new ones.

So far we’d been through South America, Japan, Russia, much of East Asia and after consulting Alice, who seemed to be growing more and more excited the farther west we traveled, we’d decided to move on to Egypt. Apparently the coven there would be welcoming and Alice just couldn't wait for whatever surprise was in store for us there. She’d been keeping up a constant mental translation of Shakespeare into Arabic for the past four days. 

I rolled my eyes, but the corner of my mouth twitched. My sister might be crazy but I loved her to pieces. Jasper caught my eye at my surge of affection and spread out some of his own enthusiasm as we followed Carlisle down a side street along with the rest of the family. Jasper and Alice hadn’t been with us the last time we where here so this was a first for him.

Carlisle led us around the back of a stone building to a nondescript door and rapped lightly on the wood. He had made contact a few days before to formally announce our presence in the area and avoid any misunderstandings, but it seemed Alice was correct that the coven was only too happy to have visitors. 

The door opened with the slightest sound sending a swath of warm light out onto the street and casting the shadow of a tall middle eastern man. He wore a lightweight long-sleeved tunic and pants and a smile that seemed strange on his face. Amun opened his arms in greeting. 

“Carlisle, Welcome friend! I see you have added to your. . .family.” He said taking in the seeming horde of vampires I knew we seemed like. There was only a brief whisper of discomfort through the other vampire’s mind before a sly look crept into his eye. “You’ll find I have grown mine as well.” 

Carlisle took it all in stride with a low chuckle. “Yes, well I did warn you Amun. I look forward to all of us getting to know the new members tonight.” 

“Of course. Come in, come in! I’m sure we have much to catch up on and I’m sure my mate is anxious to greet you.”

I raised an eyebrow at the same time as Rosalie gave a mental snort of disbelief. Kebi wasn’t exactly what you’d call emotive. Jasper cocked his head at our amusement but we were already filing into the dim hallway Jasper and Alice following Carlisle, Esme, with Emmett and Rosalie bringing up the rear. 

Thick beads hung from the opposite end of the hallway creating a soft shower of clinking as my family stepped through. As I put my hand through to step under myself I felt suddenly transported. Vibrant red and gold were the first colors to jump out at me from the heavy tapestry lined walls to the intricate carpets on the floor. Gauzy orange fabrics covered the ceiling and draped down in swags that could obviously be used to curtain off a more private part of the grand salon boasting low cream-colored sofas filled with pillows accented in jewel-bright purple, blues, and greens. 

More cushions and tasseled poofs littered the rest of the room for more seating. I removed my shoes along with the rest of my family and soaked up the awe and intrigue Jasper was giving off. There were four other vampires waiting in the room. Kebi I recognized reclining on the white sofa with Amun’s hand resting on her shoulder. Benjamin stood smiling widely with his arm around his mate Tia who was also smiling, though a bit more circumspectly. The last was a young boy maybe 15 who was practically bouncing on the balls of his feet, red eyes alight with excitement.

Alice’s mind slipped for a moment revealing confusion that she wasn’t here. Stealing a quick glance I wondered who the ‘she’ was but my sister’s walls were already back in place.

“Hello Carlisle,” Benjamin said stepping forward to kiss my father’s cheek in greeting before doing the same to my mother. “Esme it’s soo good to see old friends.” His mind rang with genuine delight at the meeting, far more than I could say for his maker who seemed to revel in the opportunity to show off rather than reconnect. Speak of the devil, Amun cleared his throat pointedly, very unhappy with what he saw as Benjamin stepping out of place.

“Perhaps we should introduce everyone so the new members will feel more at ease.” I kept my face neutral seeing as the three new vampires in the room were most enthusiastic of all, well Jasper was a little on edge but that was just his nature when meeting new vampires.

Amun began with his apathetic mate, Benjamin, and Tia (who was thrown in like an afterthought), before getting to the boy. I saw excitement and smugness as well as a flash of brown in his mind. “And this is my newest son, Seth. Like Benjamin, he is also gifted.” The boy beamed back at his “father” unaware of the possessive bent of Amun’s mind I couldn’t help feel bad for him knowing the unconditional paternal love of my own father. “Go on, show them son.”

All eyes turned to watch the young one waiting to see what he would do. It was difficult to get an understanding of his gift from the other’s minds as they seemed to think of nothing, but in a second I understood. One moment he was there beaming at all of us, the next he wasn’t. In fact, he didn’t seem to be anywhere, not a bit of his physical presence remained. His scent and I could tell from Jasper, even his emotions had disappeared. However, I could still hear his mind.  
He took joy in sneaking around the room, none of my family or his being the wiser, making the curtains flutter and the beads shake. Then to everyone’s shock (and my and Alice’s amusement), he jumped onto Emmett’s back reappearing there. 

“HEY!” Emmett howled reaching up to grab the boy off his back but Seth had already flipped off and dashed back to Amun’s side. 

Carlisle, Esme, Jasper, and Alice voiced their astonishment or interest at such a gift while Rosalie tended to Emmett’s bruised ego. The possessive smugness of Amun’s thoughts was so loud it was hard to swallow.

Only after the appropriate fawning did Amun remember to ask about our new members. Carlisle then reintroduced all of us in kind, leaving Jasper and Alice for last. “Jasper is an empath, he was a Major in the American Civil War.” I heard Jasper’s gratefulness to Carlisle for leaving out the other wars he fought in, but also his general unease with revealing so much about ourselves to a man whose emotions were so volatile. “Alice is our little firecracker and keeps things interesting as she can see the future or at least variations of it.” 

Amun’s eyes just about popped out of his head and even the ever stoic Kebi showed a flicker of interest.

“Well, it seems we have much to discuss old friend. Come sit.” he gestured our parents to the sofa and kept Seth there as well but Benjamin and Tia made themselves at home on the cushions and gestured for my siblings to do the same. 

We were just starting to catch up on the last sixty years and Alice and Jasper had moved to the sofa at Amun’s request to know them better when the man himself halted the conversations with great pomp and self-importance. I was beginning to wonder how long I would be able to stand staying in Egypt. Perhaps I could go ahead and meet my family at the next location. _Don’t you even think it, Edward Cullen!_ My pixie-like sister screamed mentally at me before I could even finish the thought.

“I’m so sorry we aren’t able to offer you more hospitality. With your diet, I didn’t think our normal refreshments would go over well.” I flinched at the mental image of poor serving boys and girls coming in the past only to become the meal themselves. Carlisle responded with simple gratitude at the coven taking our preferences into account, all the while internally cringing at his own imaginings of what Amun would have offered. 

“Yes, well I thought that perhaps since we couldn’t do that instead we might have some entertainment?” All my family went still wondering if he meant to bring humans in after all. “Tia, would you mind bringing down Isabella?” The vampiress stood and bowed her head supplicantly, but her thoughts were angry and hateful toward her leader. “And remind her that she needs to be on her best behavior for our guests.” Tia disappeared through the other side of the room and Alice’s mind was suddenly full of swirling color, pale skin, brown hair, and black eyes filled with pain.

What was that? I wanted to ask and her eyes flashed to mine knowingly before she firmly pushed me out with a Not yet. I could feel my forehead pinching in confusion and the rest of my family remained tense as Amun continued. At this point, I was pretty sure he just loved the sound of his own voice. 

“My daughter Isabella is a bit skittish still and often keeps herself isolated because of it. Seth, though younger, has taken to this life far easier than she. However, for you, my friends I said she must make an exception. After all, I can’t have one of my own coven disrespecting such guests.”

Two sets of footsteps approached now, thankfully with no accompanying heartbeat, and Seth jumped up as a woman followed Tia into the room wearing a long robe and a blue veil that covered everything but her intense dark eyes.


	2. The Dancer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Edward is enticed by this new addition in a way he's never experienced before, but it doesn't take long for him and Jasper to realize not everything is as it appears in the Egyptian coven.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Though Edward has seen the color of her eyes, they don't make direct eye contact until the end. (Important) ;)

It was only as Seth ran and hugged her that I realized from all the Egyptians’ thoughts that Isabella was Seth’s biological sibling, not just vampiric. Seth led the veiled being over to Amun by the hand where she knelt down before the coven leader and leaned forward to kiss his outstretched hand. A general aura of discomfort ran through the room at this act of subordination and my family’s eyes darted to each other, processing this newcomer and Amun’s show of patriarchal superiority. 

It was as I was wondering why the vampiress would do this and why she was wearing a veil when the other women were not, that I suddenly realized I couldn’t hear her thoughts. I shook my head and concentrated on blocking everyone else out but her. Nothing. 

“Isabella, won’t you entertain us?” Amun asked but his thoughts told me it was anything but a request. Benjamin furrowed his brow and I could see his teeth clench but he said nothing aloud. Only his thoughts gave away that he was worried about the woman and upset at Amun for forcing her to do this.

The silent veiled female bowed her head and stood gracefully moving to the front center of the room, eyes closed. Seth and Tia also moved to the corner where several instruments lay and settled themselves with a zither and drum while Isabella removed her robe. My mind, which had been trying to piece together the puzzle of Amun’s coven (they definitely had been told to prepare their minds for him since all of them had been somewhat evasive) suddenly went blank as my sole focus became the woman in front of me. 

Slim pale feet peeked out from under a billowy skirt, the same brilliant blue as her veil. Her white top, accented in the same blue, covered her from ribs to the neck, revealing the pale column of her throat. A swath of her pale stomach was exposed decorated by softly clinking gold coins that hung from the shirt and golden bangles ran up her arms. 

Emmett caught my gawking and wriggled his eyebrows suggestively— _see something you like Eddie?_ —but I ignored him enraptured by the woman before me and puzzled because of it. I’d seen my share beauty in my long life, been in the minds of many feeling physical attraction, and it had never affected me. But at this moment I didn’t think I’d seen anything more beautiful in my life; Then the music started. 

It felt as if everyone else had gone still as the female, Isabella, lifted her arms and began a slow rotation of her hips. Everything felt stifling. Though I didn’t need to breathe, there wasn’t enough air in the room. My tongue felt thick in my throat making it feel hard to swallow. Intellectually I knew what I was experiencing, but having never felt this before, I was lost and confused. I searched out Jasper’s mind to see if he had caught on to my emotions only to be brought short.

Jasper was reeling. Horrified and disgusted but also totally hopeless, despairing, and intensely thirsty. My eyes ripped from the dancing girl to my brother wondering at the out of place emotions. As soon as he felt my gaze his mind became clear. The black pit of despair and hopelessness came not from him but from the very girl who was now beginning to twirl to the sultry beat. 

His own emotion of disgust and horror came from the fact that this woman was obviously not acting of her own free will, as well as the thin striped scars he had spotted peeking out from beneath the back of her shirt when the long veil covering her hair had shifted for half a second. There were only so many things that could leave a permanent mark on one of our kind and his mind flitted through the possible causes.

But what Jasper and I found most disturbing was that the intense thirst, to the point of being painful, still couldn’t compare with her acute despair. I turned back to look at the dancing beauty with new eyes, her own remained closed.

“Isabella is a special one,” Amun said picking up the conversation again. “She’s a mental shield I discovered whose gift presented while still human. She can hide her mind the same way her brother can hide his body.”

“Oh, they are actually brother and sister then?” Esme asked as the rest of the room took in the knowledge I’d already gleaned. My mother’s thoughts were fond and happy that the siblings should be able to keep each other in this life. Amun nodded with a pleased smile. 

“Yes. You know we almost didn’t keep her, she was such a clumsy little human and I had no way of knowing if she truly was gifted, but just look at her now.” He gestured to the mesmerizingly graceful dancer as if he hadn’t just been talking of murdering her in the same breath. The way he viewed her—viewed all his coven—was disgusting. 

They were prized possessions to him, almost like pets, but he definitely had favorites. His distaste for Tia was apparent since he couldn’t control her as he wished too, Benjamin was too important to him. Isabella, however, had no such protection, being used as he saw fit. “And I might never have found Seth if I hadn’t kept Isabella,” Amun added after a moment summing up exactly what his thoughts led to. Seth was considered far more of a commodity than his sister. 

A spike of pain and guilt shot through the dancer but only Jasper reacted, taking in a sharp breath. I looked for any hint of what Isabella was feeling but externally she remained entirely composed, only my brother and I aware of her inner turmoil. 

Distracted I almost missed it as something dark and dangerous flitted through the back of Amun's mind finishing with, _if only she would cooperate!_ I concentrated more, but could only gather that Isabella was the key to something; he was definitely trying to conceal his thoughts. Carlisle spoke, interrupting the train of thought anyway, as the music’s rhythm picked up.

“How did you discern her power when she was human? It seems it would be quite a subtle gift to me.”

“It was actually a visiting nomad who made us aware of her gift.” Amun ran his had through Kebi’s hair as he responded. “We realized he had a gift for suggestion soon after his arrival and told him to move on, but he kept popping up. It wasn’t long before we realized he’d become obsessed with a human who seemed to be immune to his gift and had to step in to end him, though unfortunately too late to save the girl.” 

Deceit wrapped in truth, I thought as images flashed through Amun’s mind. Another vampire with a closely shaved head and large nose, a human girl with soulful brown eyes and a heart-shaped face, the vampire running with her, crouched over her in defense as Amun approached, the vampire lassoed with fire, dragging the screaming human away as she fought to get back to him “David!”, smoking ashes, a handful of teeth, biting Isabella (for the girl was obviously she), and last a human Seth at maybe seven years old. 

This was puzzling to say the least and I tried to make sense of what I saw as everyone politely agreed, bemoaned disruptive nomads (Carlisle mentioned the triad we’d had to deal with a few years ago), and complimented the smug vampire on his family.

“I would like to know Edward if you are able to use your gift on my lovely daughter.” There was the slightest tremor in Isabella’s hand and her lips drew infinitesimally tighter. Still, she danced, twirling and spinning as if her life depended on it. The gold coins beat a crescendo against her marble skin. _So this is the reason Amun was so enthusiastic about our visit._ I finally understood why the normally territorial male had allowed our larger coven into his home so enthusiastically. 

“No, Amun. I am unable to hear anything from her mind.” My voice was soft as I spoke for the first time since the alluring and sad woman had entered the room, giving the leader what he wanted. Her perpetually closed eyes flew open and the blackest of blacks locked with my own tawny gold.

Amun’s thoughts rang with justification “We meet so few mental gifts to test her on, and I’d rather not bring her before Aro just to see. . .” the others had turned their attention back to the windbag but his words were meaningless to me as I rose and trapped in her gaze, stepped forward, the rest of the world falling away. 

Unaware of time passing until the mental barrage grew too loud to ignore, I realized my right hand had come to rest against her veiled cheek unbidden while my left held her own delicate fingers in its grip. Isabella stood unmoving, eyes examining my soul, as her thumb brushed light circles over my skin. I blinked, expecting it to break this spell but if anything the pull I felt increased with the brief absence of her loveliness. Unspoken shouts of joyous celebration came from around the room as well as thoughts of cautious optimism and gentle concern but one lividly irreverent voice rose above the rest and ruined the sanctity of the moment.

“What. Is. The meaning of this?”


	3. Chaos

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> All hell breaks loose when Amun realizes who Edward might be to his 'daughter'.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 2 has been updated as of 2/26. Somehow I forgot to add a crucial detail that is relevant to the WHY of the whole story.

Everyone was frozen. The music had stopped at some point though I couldn’t say when. Benjamin had his arms around Tia, both were equally hopeful and fearful. Seth was watching us with confusion and everyone except for Carlisle, Esme (who radiated joy), and Kebi were on their feet. My siblings were shifting between smiling at me and furtively glancing at Amun who was the picture of towering rage. If he’d been human I was sure his face would have been purple by now, blood pounding with anger, and far less intimidating.

I opened my mouth to answer but couldn’t find the words (how could human language express what I ‘d just experienced?) and instead wrapped my arms around the female before me drawing her closer to my chest as if I could physically shield her from Amun’s ire. Instead, it was Jasper who spoke.

“I should have thought it was fairly obvious. I may have the advantage of being an empath, but surely you can identify a mating bond when you see one.”

“Preposterous! Get away from my daughter.” Amun grabbed Isabella’s arm causing her to whimper as he tried to wrench her from my grip. A growl ripped its way out of my chest as I held on and my mate clutched onto me for dear life. Carlisle was there in an instant putting his own hand over Amun’s wrist. 

“Think of what you are doing old friend. A bond such as this is sacred, it is a time to celebrate.”

“That’s quite convenient. Your only unmated son just _happens_ to be the mate of MY unmated daughter, who just so happens to be a powerful mental shield.” Amun growled. Carlisle stiffened momentarily before replying in an even voice.

“I’m not sure what you are implying Amun. We’ve no control over who we mate with; you know this. It may seem sudden, but these things usually are. Edward has waited over a century for your daughter and I’m sure she has longed for her mate as well. Come, let’s shake hands and welcome each other as family.” Carlisle released Amun’s wrist and held a hand up in goodwill. Amun released my mate then only to slap Carlisle’s gesture aside face incensed.

“Family, ha! As if stealing an UNMATED female from my coven makes us family. The second you walk out that door I’ll never see her or you again!” The vampire’s voice was growing louder and Seth who had so far viewed the whole thing with confusion suddenly blanched looking at us with fear and distrust. Alice stepped up to Carlisle’s side then, inserting herself into the conversation.

“That’s not true! I knew bringing Edward here would mean he would no longer be with our family permanently. Obviously Isabella has family here in Egypt.” Our entire family whipped their heads to Alice, reeling. “Don’t look at me like that, it was supposed to be a wonderful surprise. You’ve all been wishing Edward would find a mate for ages, well you’re welcome, I found her!”

“Alice!” Esme gasped. The whole family was feeling the shock of her keeping such an important secret from us, even Jasper—Well, at least the litany of Arabic Shakespeare made sense now—but Alice just continued on, still in her own world.

“I just don’t understand what’s gone wrong! I saw them with us, I’ve seen them leave to stay in Egypt going and back and forth. Everyone was so happy.” She turned to Amun Frustrated “How can you not be happy? Yes, it’s sad, but surely the pain of temporary separation is worth them finding their mates.” She threw her arm out gesturing to us.  
“Look at them, they belong together! As soon I saw her in my visions I knew it would be selfish to keep them apart.” She moved her hands to her temples as if in pain. “No! It’s all wrong, why aren’t you happy?” She screeched.

Not for the first time I wished Alice would stop playing the ‘all-knowing’ wielder of fate. Too often she forgot her own limitations and with how things were unfolding I was afraid we were about to pay the price for her hubris. 

“So you knew about her then? That’s it, this is all hoax; you’re trying to steal from me under the guise of a mating bond and I won’t allow it! I should have known better than to let you into my home. This whole thing was your plan from the beginning Carlisle! Take Isabella from me and keep building up that precious family of yours with the talents of other covens. She is MY shield.”

“Friend-”

“You are no friend of mine!”

“Amun see sense,” Benjamin tried, but his leader was too far gone to be reasoned with.

“No! You won’t have her. Your claim is ridiculous, Isabella is unmated and under my authority. Seth, grab your sister before they take her!”

“NO!” Benjamin and I cried at the same time and then Seth was gone. For a few tense seconds, I followed Seth’s mind. He was focused on saving his sister, and I braced for an unseen attack only to have Isabella disappear from my arms. Vanished. Gone. Just like Seth but whose thoughts I could at least still hear. He was struggling to get his sister to come with him. She was still wrapped around me, and I realized as I went to bring my arms closer to my body, I couldn’t. 

I felt nothing except a refusal of my arms to go any further, but that was enough. She was still here, clinging to me if the unexplained bunching I felt on the back of my shirt was any indication, and I was still holding her in my arms. Protecting her. I closed my eyes and focused on not letting my arms move as Seth’s thoughts told me he was trying to pull her away. He kept pleading with her, though not a whisper was heard aloud, to try and convince her to come. 

I so wished I could hear her mind and wondered why she didn’t answer him, tell him we were mated—why she wouldn’t go. Stranger, was that her brother did not seem to expect an answer. Instead, I was forced to watch through his eyes as she clung to me and shook her head, giving wordless gut-wrenching sobs.

At the same time as my invisible battle, the entire room had erupted. My family, poised for a fight, had been shocked when Tia flew across the room attacking her leader. Kebi snarled and rose for the first time that evening. Ben and Emmett, joined the fray at once, while Jasper, ever the strategist, held back and moved in front of the main exit. 

Ben pulled Kebi off of Tia who was clawing at Amun, shredding his tunic to try and get at ‘something’, while Emmet joined in to help hold the Egyptian leader’s arms. Rosalie and Esme both had closed in around me, looking in vain for a hint of Seth and Isabella, but wanting to help (both were on high alert and concerned about keeping my mate from the leader who reminded them too closely of other men in their pasts.) Alice’s eyes were closed trying to see the best possible outcome, and Carlisle whispered options in her ear, trying to find a peaceable solution.

“Seth!” Amun yelled across the room. Moments later, Isabella reappeared in my arms and Jasper launched himself across the room grabbing onto Amun’s head just as he and Kebi both vanished. With a violent jerk, Amun’s severed head reappeared in Jasper’s hands, while the rest of the body collapsed and venom leaked onto the ground. 

Kebi’s screams echoed in my head as, invisible, she pounced upon Jasper ripping off his arm and snatching her mate’s head in the chaos. Seth grabbed his maker’s body as Kebi shoved the head onto the neck and Amun disappeared once again. Seth was now completely terrified as he and Kebi hoisted the healing leader between them and fled, no hint of where they might be going. 

Carlisle and Alice were both at my brother’s side helping to reattach his arm to the gaping wound of his exposed shoulder socket now. Tia was wrapped in a shell shocked Benjamin’s arms venom running from several cuts on her body including a menacing one near her jaw. 

Taking their example I scooped my newly found mate into my arms securely, comforting myself with her presence. When Jasper was once again whole and most of Tia’s wounds sealed, my military-minded brother nodded and as a unit, we all flew out the door.

At a whine from Isabella, Tia came up beside us. Momentarily halting at the end of an alleyway several streets over, to check on the busyness of the street beyond, we were all regretting our earlier decision to leave the cars and ‘enjoy the city’. 

“Don’t worry, we’ll get Seth back.” She said taking my mates hand. 

“The little ghost who helped them escape?” Emmett scoffed.

“He’s just a kid and her brother. He doesn’t have a clue what Amun is capable of.” Benjamin said watching the cars pass by.

“She protects him from it, always hiding the worst.” Tia added and Benjamin looked back at her, not sure what she meant by ‘the worst’. He shrugged it off, not wanting to bring it up in front of us and volunteered.

“I can get him.”

“How?” Jasper asked. “I know you have the elements but we just saw what an invisible enemy can do. And no offense, but that was to someone with far more experience fighting than yourself.” His voice was on edge, but I didn’t blame him. The thirst he’d been feeling all night from Isabella was now compounded by his own need to hunt and recoup his strength, as well as the high emotions lingering from the unexpected fight.

“Amun would never -” Benjamin started but I cut him off. 

“Maybe, but Kebi would definitely kill you. And I think even Amun would if he really thought you might leave him. After all, possessions are only valuable if they’re yours right?” I spat harshly.

“Calm, everyone.” Carlisle’s voice covered us all like a blanket, smothering the rising tension. “There is no point in trying to chase them down now. Isabella is the important one at the moment. Let’s get her to the hotel. We can handle Amun when the time comes.”

“Uh, Carlisle?” Alice spoke, for the first time since her revelation and her tone was fittingly contrite. “I don’t think we’ll be going with you.”


	4. Speak of the Devil

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The gang splits up on the way back to the hotel and bits Bella's story come to light, revealing something more sinister than any of them could have imagined.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The ending of this chapter gave me trouble. This is the original ending I wanted, but it felt like I had to rush/cut out details of Bella's trauma to get here. However, the other ending was just blah and weak, pushing the big reveal to the middle of chapter 5 which I didn't like. 
> 
> Let me know what you think of the title too. Debating between using it for this chapter or the next.

The general thread of my family’s thoughts was to tell Alice to stuff it and stop ordering our lives with her visions, at least it was until they looked at her and realized as I had from her thoughts that this wasn’t about a vision at all. 

She was holding on to Jasper’s hand who was practically hunched over struggling with the painful thirst and overwhelming emotions. 

“No, I don’t think you will. Can you handle it son?” Carlisle's mind was full of worry for the innocent people still on the street enjoying Cairo’s nightlife, and for my oldest brother. “There’s no shame in more of us going with you if you need it.”

“I-” He glanced down at Alice, who just smiled encouragingly. Closing his eyes Jasper nodded decisively. “Better not to risk it.” Benjamin and Tia watched with interest as many of our more traditional friends tended to but they took me by surprise with their empathy.

“Let me go with you,” Benjamin offered, just needing to be useful. “I can take you through the least trafficked areas and show you where you might find game. Plus if we have a run-in with my former coven we’d at least have a chance of Seth listening to me. If not, hopefully the three of us could overpower him without having to tear him ap-”

“Ben!” Tia hissed as my mate, who had been tense and silent since Tia first spoke, went completely limp in my arms.

“I only meant our gifts could help prevent that!” Benjamin backtracked and I lowered to my knees urgently trying to shake her out of it.

“Isabella!” She flopped lifeless, causing me to rip off her veil. It shouldn’t be possible for a vampire to suffocate, but my mind wasn’t rational at the moment. She was beautiful, alabaster skin paler than any of her coven, with her chocolate waves pulled back in a braid. Her delicate chin was pointed and there were strange faint cracks on her full cheeks starting at the corners of her rosebud mouth. This barely registered as the most singular thought entered my mind though, never had I seen one of our kind look more like a corpse. 

I looked up at Benjamin and Tia desperately. The latter was feeling immense guilt for causing whatever ‘this’ was.

“She’ll be fine,” His mate said kneeling next to me. “It’s just something that happens sometimes.” Her knuckles brushed over my mate's temple. “I suspect it’s her mind's way of protecting her when things become too much.” 

“Like a human’s.” Carlisle knelt next to us as well. _Fascinating._ I growled. How could he find my mate’s state of unconsciousness ‘fascinating’? He silently apologized as he lifted Isabella’s lids to try and check her pupils.

Emmett and Rosalie, who had been silent for most of the evening, called to us now from where they were keeping an eye on the street. Emmett’s deep voice poke first, “Guys we need to move.” 

“People are starting to notice something is going on over here.” Rose supplemented as Alice’s eyes glazed over. 

“Someone is going to call the police in the next 3 minutes.” 

“Alright, let’s get going then.” He turned to Alice & Jasper. “Keep your phones on and be back before sunrise. We don’t need you stuck hiding out in a basement all day with Amun on the loose.”

“I’ll stay with Bella,” Tia said, looking at Benjamin whose jaw clenched but then relaxed with a deep breath. 

“Please be safe.” Benjamin asked pulling her in his arms and she mumbled “you too” as he kissed her forehead. _Please take care of her,_ he asked me. I nodded and then the three of them were gone, going up and over the buildings.

“Emmett and Rose, you take the planned route, make it look like a lovers spat. Big enough to distract, but subtle enough to not need intervention please. We don’t need to be dealing with police tonight. Be at the hotel in ten minutes.”

Rosalie didn’t even nod as she stormed out of the alleyway shooting a string of curses and accusations at Emmett who followed ‘attempting’ to grab her arm and apologize as the rest of us shrunk further back into the shadows. Sometimes the versatility of my family amazed me.

Still holding a limp Isabella, Carlisle, Esme, Tia and I made our way through several more alleys trying to stay inconspicuous. Once Carlise had checked a thoroughfare with Tia and gotten our bearings it was simple to circle back around to our hotel. 

Not having a coat or anything to wrap my mate in it was decided that Esme & Carlisle would go in the main entrance and open our balcony door. I would scale the building with Tia, who refused to leave Isabella’s side.

After the slightly complicated process of hopping from balcony to balcony one-handed with my mate cradled in the other, we were welcomed into the room by all four of my family members, Emmett and Rosalie having arrived just after Carlise and Esme.

“She’s still out?” Emmett asked as I laid my mate out on the pristine white sofa. Our suite was luxurious and modern with four bedrooms (Alice had insisted), a lounge, bar/kitchen, study, and private hot tub. All in sleek dark woods and white fabrics and decor. 

“Yes, Emmett.” I gestured, pointing out the obvious.

“Well, how long till she wakes up?” Rosalie, who was standing next to him, smacked his chest with the back of her hand. I didn’t blame him though as the thought had been running through the back of my mind through our entire escapade.

“It’s always different” Tia offered, standing behind the couch near Isabella’s head. “Sometimes it’s an hour or two, sometimes only a few minutes. . .” she paused. “Only once. . .she was like this for a whole week.” I saw in her mind Amun, carrying Isabella much like I had been, laying her on a pallet in a bare room and then Tia sitting vigil as the sun rose and set until she’d thought her sister would never wake.

“Well then, we must decide what needs to be done in the meantime.” Carlisle ran a hand through his hair as he sat; a human signal of stress that he’d picked up.

“Whenever she does wake up she’s going to need to feed. Jasper will have a hard time being around her till she does.” Esme, ever the caring and worrying mother, said. 

“Well, putting aside the fact that she’s unconscious, even if she wanted to follow our diet she couldn’t hunt being that thirsty, it’d be a massacre.” Rosalie leaned against the bar counter that sat behind the main couch Isabella was laying on. “And I don’t think anyone here would be okay with bringing in the bell boy for a snack.” She raised an eyebrow at Tia. Even in a crisis, I could trust my family to be themselves. 

“That won’t be a problem. Bella would never forgive me if I did something like that, and besides, she’d just resist anyway.” 

“How could she resist? I saw her eyes, it has to have been weeks since she last hunted!” Emmett exclaimed.

“Try months.” Tia snorted, “It’s just the way she is. . . has always been.” She looked down ashamed. “It doesn’t matter how many times Amun shuts her away with a human, she can go weeks without touching them, probably months if he didn’t get fed up and bleed them eventually.” 

The only sound in the room was the ticking of an analog clock on the wall. Everyone’s thoughts except my father’s were centered around how similar she sounded to him. He was thinking of the horror it would have been to have been put in the same situation.

“So. . .she’s never. . .hunted?” Emmett's hands moved as if they would finish the sentence for him as he trudged his way through it.

“No. She refused from the beginning, she ‘didn’t want to be a murderer’ she said and eventually, Amun got so disgusted with her that he stopped doing it for her own good and started-.” She cut herself off, as if physically unable to say the words; so I, closing my eyes and laying my forehead against my mates hand, stepped in voice dead.

“He tortured her with feeding. Not just through force, psychologically.” Why did I feel like I was only just beginning to comprehend the horrors she had lived in this life.

“How?” Carlisle asked solemnly. Tia took an unnecessary breath.

“Amun started bringing in the kind of people that would torment her the most.” Conjured images of young children, being shut in a room with my blood deprived mate, flitted through Tia’s mind. “It was before Seth joined us, he started bringing in progressively younger children, and eventually just little boys, normally age seven or eight. Seth’s age before she changed.” 

“That’s twisted,” Emmett said but his comment was almost lost under Rosalie’s, “I want him dead,” As she pictured being forced to feed on baby Henry look-alikes. 

“Yes, he’s a sick twisted soul, but that’s just the tip of the iceberg and there’s something else you need to know.” Tia shifted and pulled out a small canvas pouch drawing everyone’s attention to it. “I don’t know if she’d want me to tell you. I don’t even know the whole story exactly because she couldn’t tell me. Anyway, I guess you’ll be family to her now too.”

“What do you mean couldn’t tell you?” Carlisle asked concerned. 

“Oh! Is this about why she doesn’t talk?” Emmett asked enthusiastically, proud of himself for piecing it together. Sometimes I forgot that underneath his ridiculousness, my brother could actually be quite astute.

“Yes, in a manner of speaking.” Glancing at me, and trying to hide her thoughts behind general concern for our reaction, Tia walked around to the coffee table in the middle of the sitting area. ”Only Bella can tell us what really happened—Amun spouted so many lies—but anyway, this is the reason Bella doesn’t talk anymore and why I kind of went crazy attacking Amun tonight.” 

My family all leaned in to see, wondering what could be in it, but Tia’s thoughts slipped and it took everything in me not to recoil from the knowledge. I tried to distract myself with the nickname Tia had used for my mate several times now, but the pouch was opened and a hunk that a human might have mistaken for a rock fell onto the table.

Not even hair moved in the room for a full minute before Rosalie broke the silence.

“Is that. . .her tongue?!” If I had been human I would have been violently ill.


	5. Rage and Regret

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fall out from the big discovery of Bella's mutilation, Tia pouring out her regrets, and the family working to at least get a short term plan together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, it took a couple days for this one. Also still not sure about the chapter titles if anyone has any ideas. This one was reflective of Edward and Tia's emotional reactions to everything coming out last chapter.

“Oh my god,” Esme breathed, horror written in every facet of her face at the same time as Emmett flinched back and swore, “Shit!”

Carlisle said nothing, but a fury unlike I had ever known burned in his mind. He had called Amun friend, however loose the connection may have been, never knowing that he truly was the definition of a monster. For the first time I could ever remember he was anticipating ending a life.

As for me, there was just one thought running through my mind, “How long?” Tia looked up at me when I spoke. “ _How long_ has she been like this?” 

She gulped and looked down, “Close to eleven years.”

I shot up arm swinging to throw the closest piece of furniture I could into the wall but it was caught by Rosalie, just as Carlisle came up to restrain me from behind. 

_Be calm Edward._

“We didn’t know. He lied and manipulated us, they went on a trip about a year before Seth was changed,” Tia’s voice ran in the background as if she couldn’t help but let it all flow out now meanwhile Carlisle spoke to my mind. “He told us the Volturi had done it!” Halfheartedly trying to break out of my father’s grip I roared out my pain. 

_Son, listen to me._

“He said they’d punished her, but he was an idiotic fool. Even Ben began doubting him then. But Seth-Seth didn’t know. And the feedings!” 

_You must be strong for your mate._

“We were never allowed to be around when he was trying to feed her. ‘Wanting to respect her boundaries’ he’d said.” Tia threw up her hands and began pacing in tiny circles. 

_Think of her. You don’t want her to wake up and see you like this._ I slumped in his arms. 

“The humans would always be brought after we left, and she would beg us not to go but she needed blood. We thought he was at least doing it for her own good.” She paused, thoughts overwhelmed with shame and disgust for herself. 

_That’s it son. I know. I know it hurts but save it for later._ Images of Esme flicked through his mind and he showed me the anger I’d never even realized was there at the time. His own pain and frustration taken out on acres of forest during my rebellious years. 

“Every once in a while though, we’d help dispose of a body and I’d wonder why so young. It wasn’t till I first saw Seth, still human, that I realized.” The confessions flowed like a faucet left on, no end in sight. “I swore then that I’d get her out, but by then it was too late.” 

I was sobbing in Carlisle's arms now as he continued, _It’s alright son, I’ve got you, it’s going to be alright._

__“He brought her back silent and it took me years to figure out he had kept it. By then Seth was so blindly devoted to him, I just-I didn’t know what to do.” Tia was crying now too._ _

“Shhh Tia, that’s enough for now,” Esme said softly approaching the tearful female to rub soothing circles on her back. “ We understand. It’s not your fault. Amun is to blame and he will answer for his sins.” 

__Carlisle lowered me back down to my spot near Bella’s head and I tried to block out Tia’s mind which, was weighed down with all the little events and details she’d left out that filled her with shame. But then came a thought neither her nor I could shake._ _

__“Carlisle,” Tia asked desperately. “Can it be put back?”_ _

__“Wait why couldn’t be put back?” Emmett questioned, brow furrowed. “That’s like, one of our biggest perks!”_ _

__“Just look at it Emmett,” Rose supplied with just a hint of exasperation. “It’s like a dry lump of. . .you know. There’s no venom on it, no ‘open wound’ to adhere it back. It almost looks calcified.” Carlisle leaned over to better look at the-at my mates-at it._ _

__“We won’t know for sure till later, but Rosalie is indeed correct. We would need to reopen the would to reattach it properly. However, the difficulty will not be with the tongue that needs reattached but with the other half. I don’t want to check the state inside her mouth until she is conscious, but certainly if the remaining tongue is short enough it will be difficult to fix.  
“It’s not as if I can just go in and scrape away tissue with a scalpel after all.” He didn’t mean to be harsh, but his frustration was palpable. That his centuries of medical knowledge may not serve in this case, when it actually mattered to his family, ate at him._ _

We all sat in silence processing the night’s revelations. I read the ornate clock mounted on the wall from Esme’s mind. It wasn’t even eleven. Less than four hours ago we were leaving this hotel room for a night of catching up with old friends. 

__I couldn’t count the number of ways life had changed since then. Focusing on the ticking seconds it was at least a quarter of an hour before anyone else spoke and when she did I had to stop from lashing out._ _

__“I hate to be the one to say it, but despite all of this we still have a starving vampire in a hotel filled with humans.” Rosalie’s words were matter-of-fact, but her voice sounded dead, she didn’t want to say them at all but knew our family needed to change gears or stay stuck in this horror all night. “She may be able to restrain herself, but at least for Jasper’s sake she will have to have blood at some point. ”_ _

__I wondered if the world would ever break Rosalie Hale. Through every horror she pushed on._ _

Again no one spoke but at least everyone’s minds were focused on something else for a moment. How could we go about giving nutrients to someone who had been traumatized by it before? 

Tia thought perhaps I could convince her to eat, picturing a human of course, but I refused to hurt my mate or myself in that way. Emmett was weighing the possibilities of pouring blood down her throat while she was unconscious—I shuddered—and on a more medical bent Carlisle was wondering if a feeding tube might work. Esme however was the voice of reason. 

“But, this was all because she didn’t want to kill humans right? We hunt _animals_. Surely she wouldn’t be averse to trying that, would she?” She asked hands clasped in front of her and Tia shrugged. 

“Yeah!” Emmett jumped in. “And it’s not like she’d have the normal issue of tasting the differe-” Rose jabbed him hard in the stomach, wishing that her mate would know when not to open his big mouth. My phone went off shrilly, cutting off any further altercation. It was Alice. 

__“Esme’s idea will work,” she said as soon as I picked up, no preamble. “We’ll bring something for her when we return, Jasper will just wait outside until she’s a little more sated.” I let out a long slow breath._ _

“Thank you Alice.” I heard her mmhmm before she added, 

“She’ll need your help Edward. Oh! And she sould be waking up in a few minutes or so.” The phone clicked off and I wanted to roll my eyes at the infuriating pixie, but I was too grateful for her at the moment. 

“Perhaps it would be best if we weren't all here sitting around her when she does.” Esme ventured, thinking of how she might have felt in her own situation. 

“Yes, while we’ve got much to figure out, I believe you’re right dear. We’ll need to prepare a place for her to feed anyway,” Carlisle said, whipping out his phone. “Emmett and I can go for the tarps and cleaning supplies,” There were a few nearby stores that might have what we needed, though only two were still open. He was already planning on them splitting up to get as many things as possible without looking suspicious. 

“She’ll need clothes too, even if she doesn't destroy the ones she has on, they aren't exactly inconspicuous for whenever we leave.” Esme rattled off glad now she could be productive. She paused. “Let’s go do a bit of shopping Rose. The boutique downstairs should be open, and I’m sure Isabella would prefer things in her own size to borrowing from us. Tia, do you happen to know her size?” 

The girls gathered their purses as they talked measurements and Carlisle (after squeezing my shoulder and promising to be back within the hour) brushed a kiss over Esme’s forehead as he and Emmett passed and left out the balcony. They didn’t want to draw attention in the lobby when they returned. 

Only seconds later Esme and Rosalie were heading down to the elevator, intent on a ‘late night shopping spree’ since their husbands were wrapped up in some ‘American sporting event’, or at least that’s what they’d tell the shopping assistant. 

Now it was just Tia and I holding vigil over my unconscious mate as the seconds ticked by. 

_I truly am sorry Edward,_ Tia thought. _I’m sorry I couldn’t protect her better. I wish I had known you were her mate. I would have made an excuse to get you here years ago. I wish-_ She sighed. 

“There’s no way you could have known.” My voice sounded flat to my ears, but there truly was no way. Even Alice hadn’t seen it till we were going on our trip. Still, it made me wonder—if only to torture myself with the knowledge. But just as I had decided to ask, Bella’s eyes flew open. They flitted around—seemingly taking in the room—before coming to land squarely on me. 


	6. Awake

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Edward and Bella take the time to actually meet and introduce themselves before the emotional ramifications of everything else hit Bella. Thankfully Doctor Carlisle arrives and is able to talk to her about what they discussed while she was unconscious.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one I liked, but the ending felt a little rushed. Especially the last few lines and transitioning into the next chapter started to take on a humorous edge, which isn't bad, but I definitely don't want it to influence the tone of the overall piece or feel jarring. please let me know what you think.

A small gasp escaped my mate before she bolted upright. Slowly I rose to my knees before Isabella, watching her reaction. Her eyes stayed focused on me but I couldn’t tell if she was waiting for me to strike or simply as enamored as I was. Again I wished I could read her mind, especially now that I knew she would not be able to speak to me herself. If only Jasper were here, my only clue into her current state was the gnawing of her lower lip.

“Hello,” I breathed as it struck me that we’d never been introduced. I lifted a hand longing to touch her but stopped halfway—not knowing how it would be received—eyes never moving from her dark gaze. “My name is Edward.” 

Her own eyes glanced down briefly before I felt her tangle her fingers through mine. When she looked up her eyes were shimmering with venom that could never fall. The tiniest whimper passed her lips and immediately I raised my other hand to her cheek, stroking my thumb across it.

“Hey, it’s okay. You’re okay now, Isabella.” She jerked back at that brow furrowing. “Do you not like to be called Isabella?” I asked clutching at straws. “Is Bella okay?” She nodded, coming back toward me until our foreheads were pressed against each other.

“Bella,” I said again rolling her name over my tongue to savor every sound. Quieter I repeated “My Bella.” A shiver went through her, but since she didn’t pull away I assumed it was okay. We stayed like that for what could have been minutes or hours—my vampiric brain knew it had actually been exactly 37 minutes, but it was not the part in control at the moment.—both breathing even though we didn’t need to. I filled my lungs with her scent and tasted her sweet breath, branding her into my mind. 

“Oh my Bella, I have waited so long for you,” I whispered so lowly that I could barely hear my own words. I felt her nod against me and realized my eyes had slipped closed. I snapped them back open intent on not wasting a moment of her loveliness. “I’m here now, I won’t leave you.” My voice turned hard, “And I promise, I will never let him touch you, ever again.”

She stiffened a bit and pulled back, her searching eyes flicking back and forth between mine. “I-I know why you can’t talk to me; it’s. . .” I trailed off not knowing what to say except empty platitudes.

“I told them Bella.” Tia spoke up, startling us both—Bella pulled away from me completely. How strange that I could completely forget another person's presence. Suddenly I understood my mated family members so much more. “I-I got it, Bella.” 

Isabella’s eyes widened and fell to the coffee table where Tia was pointing. Instantly she was up and halfway across the room horror and shame written in those glorious eyes. I wished I could know what she was thinking!

“Don’t,” I begged, reaching for her. “Tia explained. It’s okay. We’re going to try to help fix it.” 

Isabella sunk to the floor with small, pained animal-like moans. Her hands covered her face as she slowly rocked back and forth. Tia and I both moved to kneel beside her, Tia’s mind full of guilt for revealing her friend’s mutilation, but at a loss as how she could help otherwise. 

I was just as lost, hands frozen halfway toward my mate and having no idea how I could help her. 

That was how Carlisle and Emmet found us when they returned. My brother promptly froze on the balcony as he took in the scene, while my father left his bags and approached us slowly. Sitting on the floor as well he softly said,

“Alice called, they will be here any minute so we need to get set up. I called your mother as well, so she and Rose are wrapping things up.” He paused, turning to my mate. “Isabella-”

“She prefers Bella,” I whispered and she stopped rocking.

“Bella, my name is Carlisle. I’m Edward’s father. . .or well his maker, but you’ll find my family is very much a true family in everything but biology.” Bella lowered her hands but kept her head down. Carlisle’s thoughts were filled with compassion as he gently continued.

“I assume Edward and Tia have told you what she shared with us?” She nodded, eyes on the floor.

“Well, not all of it. We hadn’t talked about what Alice is bringing. . .” I said, wanting to avoid setting her off again by mentioning feeding.

“They got caught in a moment,” Tia said, causing Bella to finally raise her head to glare at her friend. 

“Alright then,” Carlisle glossed over the comment but internally a hope was welling up once again that out of this mess his son was finally going to be with his other half. “Bella there are some things we should discuss. First, did Amun tell you about how my family and I live differently from others of our kind?” 

Bella’s brow furrowed and she cocked her head shaking it slightly, but she also raised a finger to rest gently under her eye.

“Our eyes, yes. They’re because of our diet. We eat animals you see.” He didn’t pause between sentences, afraid it may upset her to talk about feeding before getting the whole context out there. Bella’s eyes blew wide and she dropped her hand. Devastation was almost palpably coming off her, even without Jasper in the room. “So I take it he didn’t tell you and that such an option was never presented to you either.”

My mate shot a look of pure betrayal and despair at Tia who turned away face crumpled. Tia’s thoughts were a storm of self-flagellation and guilt. 

“Wait my dear, you must understand how rare our lifestyle is. Out of the whole world, only our family and one other coven share our diet that we know of. It is incredibly difficult and many find it unquenching to their thirst.” He reached slowly to scoop up Bella’s hand saying, “Please don’t blame your friend.” And surprising myself I had to suppress a snarl. As it was a low growl still escaped me before I could stop it.

Carlisle glanced at me asking if this was too much, but I clenched my jaw and shook my head. He was my father after all! Still he released her hand and without thinking of it suddenly my own hand had snuck out and taken his place.

“Now I only bring this up now because my daughter Alice is bringing back some wildlife for you to feed from if you’d be willing to try it?” He let that hang for a moment before mentally gathering himself. “I know that we have your mouth to repair,” she flinched as he continued, “but for a few reasons I think it would be best if you were sated first.”

He straightened and I could physically see my father go into doctor mode.

“First, as a medical professional, though I work with humans, not vampires, it is general knowledge that having blood in our system promotes healing.” My mate’s face was disbelieving but I was pretty sure that was from Carlisle claiming to be a human physician. 

“It is why my son had to hunt after his arm was repaired. He lost venom and needed nutrients to help his body resupply itself. You have no blood in your system and therefore, without it I am uncertain if your body will even allow reattachment. I have no idea how much venom you may have in your system, with too little the regeneration process would certainly be painful and terribly slow or incomplete.”

Timidly, Bella nodded and I rubbed soothing circles on the back of her hand with my thumb.

“Second, that same son, Jasper, has a gift for sensing and manipulating emotions. I know it may sound invasive but I assure you he is incredibly respectful with it, mostly using it to help in tense situations.” 

_Or to be the biggest A-hole in the world,_ Emmett’s mental voice cut into my mind as he thought about all the embarrassing and ridiculous pranks Jasper had played on him over the years with his gift. I just rolled my eyes focusing on the serious conversation that was being had.

“I believe it would be beneficial to have him close by as we attempt to reattach your tongue.” It was the first time he’d said it outright but I was quickly distracted by his next thought which had me shooting him a glare. “Not just for you but for Edward. However, Jasper's gift also leaves him particularly sensitive to others' thirst. Essentially, unless you feed, it would be dangerous for him to be here.” 

Drawing in a deep long breath through her nose, Bella worried her lip. Seconds ticked by on the clock before she blew out and nodded decisively.

“Alright then.” 

Emmett was immediately in the kitchen/bar laying out the four tarps they’d been able to get. Esme and Rose who’d arrived but waited in the foyer the last few minutes also came in after dropping the shopping bags in one of the bedrooms. They were just introducing themselves and thankfully bringing Tia back into the conversation when my phone once again went off.

“Alice,” I muttered before answering, still holding one of Bella’s hands.

“Hey Edward. I could use some help!” Disengaging from my mate I stood and went out to the balcony to see my little sister poised halfway up the building exasperatedly wrangling an animal twice her size. She muttered a “Thank God,” when she saw me and then as I asked,

“Alice, what the f-?” She threw it upward directly at me.


	7. The Crocodile

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everyone is reunited, Bella finally feeds with help from the whole family and Edward is forcefully reminded of something unpleasant.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have to admit, I am on the fence whether to keep the plot point at the end of this chapter or not. I teased it first chapter, but now that I'm here it would definitely add a couple of chapters I wasn't intending just for exposition. 
> 
> All that to say, I like the way the chapter ends but am not sold on keeping the plot point just for that. What do you guys think?

Gnashing teeth and flailing claws flew at me as my sister scaled the building just behind it. Then my arms were full of snarling vicious reptile.

“Really Alice! A Crocodile?”

She was there to take it from me immediately rolling her eyes. The nine-foot long beast was snarling and writhing, trying to twist out of her iron grip.

“Well, it’s not like I could get a bear.” She rolled her eyes exasperated and walked into the room “You know how hard it is to find game that's not endangered here.” _And it will be easier for Bella to start with something like this than a mammal._ The argument about reptiles tasting disgusting thankfully died on my tongue before it escaped. She may be right about that but still,

“It will destroy the room! How are we supposed to explain claw marks gouged into the floor and walls?” The family was watching now taking in the spectacle of the giant lizard attempting to sink its teeth into the pixie with amusement, while Tia and Bella looked on in disbelief.

“Fine! If you’re so worried-” She said and reaching around snapped its neck instantly. “There. No more problem.” She scowled as several people exclaimed “Alice!” in exasperation. “What? You’re all set up, aren’t you? She’s awake, it’s time to eat!” I began growling as she reached a hand out, now holding the dead crocodile with one arm. “By the way Bella, I’m Alice. We’ll be great friends!” She gave a little wave and my mate just nodded blankly. “Also, you’ll probably want to eat soon before this gets cold.” 

My growl grew harsher. How could she do this? We’d only just talked with Bella about feeding, and here my sister was forcing her into it headfirst, no preparation, no building up, just-.

 _Oh calm down Edward! I’ve thought this through._ Alice mentally berated me as she carried the body—tail dragging—into the kitchen. _It’ll be much better for her and you not to get psyched out about it. This way there’s a reason to bite the bullet and get the nerves over with._

I clenched my jaw and forced the rest of my body to relax at this. Carlisle was guiding Bella into the kitchen as well, while explaining that Alice was right. Though he was sorry it was so sudden, the blood would only be good for a while longer.

 _Get your but in there with your mate Edward or so help me. . ._ Rosalie threatened but I was already moving even before she finished her thought. 

Bella was kneeling in the center of the tarp, the crocodile laid out before her, looking lost and uncomfortable. When she saw me her eyes widened, pleading for help.

Instantly I moved, scooting up behind her. Gently I brought my arms around her shoulders.

“Is this alright?” I whispered as Alice disappeared leaving only us and Carlisle. She nodded, head bent down. 

“Would you like some help Bella?” Carlisle asked in a quiet voice, kneeling down beside us. My mate gave a half shrug and shake of the head. Obviously she was feeling lost but she leaned forward to bring the body of the reptile into her knees. Then she stopped. I squeezed her gently and helped to turn the animal so an easy access point was exposed.

“Perhaps it would be best if I left you and Edward to it.” My father said as again Bella made no effort to move. He nodded and stood, answering his own question. _Just let me know if you need any help son._ He thought and then said, “Just remember Bella, we’ve all been where you are, feeling strange and awkward about what we are and how we acquire sustenance. You are not alone.”

With that, he was gone.

Bella leaned back into me slightly but still made no move to feed. I debated for a moment. Normally a feeding vampire was very territorial, driven by instinct. However mates often were less volatile toward each other and anyway this was about as far from a normal hunting situation as you could get.

“Bella,” I breathed into her ear. I didn’t want to make her uncomfortable by broadcasting it loudly. “Would it help if I went first? Showed you?” Her head whipped to look at me, eyes startled but hopeful. “Alright then.”

I stayed where I was, just leaning around her slightly so as not to shove the thing in her face as I bit into its softer under neck. The blood was still warm, though not hot and pulsing like it would have been minutes ago.

The taste was atrocious. There was a reason we typically stuck to warm-blooded animals and specifically mammals as there was so little blood in birds, it seemed pointless to try and catch one. 

Emmett's one escapade with an Ostrich flew through my mind. Rolling my eyes, I forced the memory away and pulled back to wordlessly offer my meal to Bella. She hesitated for only a moment before taking a deep breath and biting down in the exact same spot I had.

I wrapped my arms about her again, thankful. Thankful to Alice and Carlisle—and even God if he cared—that she was eating.

In mere moments the beast was drained. Alice was there immediately this time with a donkey. Bella was visibly upset at the change in type of creature, but it was also already dead and her thirst had been awakened. 

My sister left and my mate pushed the carcass off of us to rise and kneel over the new meal. I stayed beside her but took the opportunity to listen in to the other room. Emmett, Rosalie, Benjamin, and Alice had created an assembly of sorts to discreetly bring the other animals up to our room while Jasper watched the live ones below. 

Carlisle, Esme, and Tia were all focused on what was happening with Bella and I, relieved that it seemed to be working.

A wild dog was next. When Bella looked up from the drained donkey I could see her black eyes had turned a dark espresso brown and as each subsequent meal was brought before her eyes lightened until they were a dark murky topaz.

I was amazed at the sudden transformation, but then with no blood in her system, it was only logical for her eyes to immediately be taking on the golden hew. Finally, she pushed the last carcass away and I could almost hear the liquid sloshing in her stomach. 

“Okay, out, out, out,” Alice said coming in with a now smiling Jasper and Emmett. They wanted to get things cleaned up and specifically not give Bella time to take in the macabre mountain of corpses now that she was coming down from her feeding high. 

In total agreement—especially since I could see a potential breakdown in Alice’s head—I took my mate’s hand and gave a gentle tug, gesturing for her to come out to the living space with me.

There, Tia and Benjamin stood while Carlisle and Esme sat, all four waiting. Both Tia and Benjamin almost ached to embrace Bella but after seeing her eat with so little pain and emotional trauma, guilt held them back. 

“How do you feel Bella?” Carlisle asked. Bella first shrugged, then patted her throat and nodded. I noticed from their minds that she didn’t quite make eye contact with anyone, always looking slightly lower. I wondered if this was from embarrassment, or—my anger rose at the thought—a ‘learned’ trait. 

Thankfully Esme’s soft, motherly voice seemed to coax my mate’s eyes upward.

“We have some clothes in the other room for you Bella, and Rosalie is drawing you a bath if you’d like to take one.” Esme glanced at Carlisle. “We thought it might be good if you had a little time to relax and adjust before taking a look at your mouth.”

Bella hesitated and Carlisle chimed in.

“If you would rather we examine it right away, we can Bella. But I want you to know I agree with Esme. I think some relaxation would do you good before anything else that may cause stress.”

It was strange to think about our kind having to work around stressful situations. It wasn’t a danger to our physical bodies like it was to humans, and very little could cause us stress.  
However with Bella’s history of abuse—and her unique way of dealing with it—I couldn’t be more thankful for my parent’s consideration.

Bella looked up at me with her dark topaz eyes. 

“Whatever you want to do.” 

She turned back and nodded raising her hand to signal just a little. Before grabbing a corner of her garment. 

“She’d like to change and get clean first, but just for a little bit.” Tia translated. Bella made a circling motion with her wrist as if to say hurry it up, but instead Tia said, “She’d really like to get it over with as soon as possible.” My mate nodded.

I realized from Tia’s mind how often Bella had talked to them like this, making up her own signs and signals. Tia had done a lot of guesswork just from knowing Bella over the years. 

“Beside’s,” Tia threw in on her own. “Bella’s never been much for pampering. Her idea of relaxing is getting lost in a book.” 

“Well, I can certainly identify with that as can many people in my family.” Carlisle beamed, truthfully no one loved books as much as Carlisle, except perhaps Jasper. Esme was smiling widely as well, thinking how glad she was to be learning something positive about her new daughter. I was ecstatic.

“Come along dear, let’s get you washed up and changed then.” And she guided Bella—and Tia when Bella stopped and motioned for her to come—to the suite where they had tucked the clothes and into the adjoining bathroom.

Wanting to be respectful I tuned out the minds, only slightly embarrassed when I realized that it was my mate who was about to strip off her garments. I swallowed. Okay perhaps a bit more than embarrassed. 

For the first time in my life, I was intrigued by the thought of a woman’s body and struggling to control my own. My two natures warred. This was my _mate_ after all! But I was also a good Edwardian boy who would never contemplate such things outside of marriage. 

Jasper chuckled in my head. _You alright there Edward?_ I scowled at him as he came back into the living area with Emmett, and prepared to tell him off when a gasp made me lose my concentration and a vivid mental picture seared itself into my brain.

How could I have forgotten about the scars?


	8. Scars

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> More of Bella's abuse is revealed and surgery is imminent.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Despite my original estimate, there will be at least 2 more chapters. Possibly 3, though I'd like to keep it shorter if possible, still 10-12 max.
> 
> This use to be an extremely long chapter so I cut it, but wasn't happy with where I did. So I actually went back further and found a different point I liked better for the chapter break. The surgery has been moved to the start of the next chapter, which I also changed quite a lot.  
> Updated March 20, 2020

Immediately Jasper was in front of me, embracing me. At least that's probably what it would have looked like to an outsider. Everyone around could tell he was exerting all his force against mine.

“What is it Edward?” He asked, frightened by my shift of mood.

“Her back,” I said through clenched teeth. “I forgot about her back.”

Jasper immediately knew what I was talking about, having been the one to actually catch it in the first place earlier this evening. Carlisle and Emmett, however, were lost, standing frozen and alert if they needed to jump in. Benjamin who had been just the same said “Oh,” and sunk onto the sofa as memories flooded over him.

Coming back from a hunt to hear Bella’s screams. Throwing open a door to find Amun standing over her with a crude whip in his hand. Ancient in design though not in age, with many strands and something small and white worked into the tip of each one. When Benjamin spoke it was near a whisper.

“It was early on, after we all realized Bella wasn’t going to come around to feeding normally. It was hard on all of us, so Amun had decided it would be best if we, Tia and I, would go away over the weeks it would take him to persuade her. At least that’s what we thought.” Bella’s venom-filled eyes and streaks of venom running down her bare back.

“We came back early once, we were frustrated with the situation and wanted to see if Bella would finally come out hunting with us. If we could make it better. He heard us but not in time to hide what he’d done—what he’d been doing.” Benjamin grabbing Amun’s arm and wrenching the whip from his hand. 

“We were going to leave. Get away from Amun and take Bella with us, but then she refused.” Bella pleading and shaking her head no. “I didn’t understand it, the hold he had over her, but we couldn’t abandon her. So instead we made sure he knew he was never going to harm her again, we’d be watching and checking constantly.” Engulfing the whip in a fire as he held it, plumes of purple smoke exploding from the ends, “And then I burned it.” 

“Burned what?” Emmett asked though both Carlisle and Jasper were wondering the same thing. Sometimes it was easy for me to forget not everyone had access to the information I did. 

“A scourge.” 

“A whip?” Jasper said in disbelief, keeping one hand on my shoulder but otherwise releasing his hold. “How could a whip do _that_ to one of us?”

“Do WHAT? Seriously what is going on guys?” Emmett pushed, but I was withdrawing into my own head trying to process it all. 

How could she have endured so much? I had seen the teeth in Amun’s mind before. I knew exactly how he had caused those scars. And there were so many. Not just her back or her tongue, but emotional, psychological scars as well. 

Yet here she was, being so-so accepting of me. Of all of us really. I did wonder why she’d chosen to stay back then, but maybe she didn’t even know. After all how many people stayed with their abusers for whatever reason? 

The important thing was that she had left now and honestly was being far stronger and more adaptable than I likely would have been after such manipulation and abuse. 

The conversation had continued around me, my mind barely registering Carlisle’s “Dear God” and the string of names—son of a bitch and sadistic psychopath being prominent—Emmett was letting loose.

“If you are all quite finished talking about something that is none of your business,” Rosalie swept into the room in a tower of rage. “Bella is ready for you Carlisle. And yes, of course, she could hear every word!” 

My eyes widened, realizing I hadn’t been paying attention to anything going on in the suite since I’d been reminded of the scars. Suddenly I was registering the minds of the three other women who, though their thoughts were full of horror and pain, had cared for my mate calmly and gently. Even now Esme was brushing out her hair.

Rosalie, though, had had enough and it was clear that this physical abuse had been the last straw. I understood why all too well.

" _Shame_ on you all!” She hissed through clenched teeth. “What gives you the right to-”

Benjamin cut in, “Edward should know, he’s her mate.” Rose’s eyes shot to his face and I could see her figuratively grow taller with righteous indignation. Honestly, we were all at least a little afraid of her.

“Yes, you’re right. _Edward_ should know,” We all blinked, “when BELLA is ready to tell him.” I felt pierced to the heart, knowing she was right. Sometimes my gift was a greater curse than others. “But guess what? You took that away from her too,” Her voice was definitely approaching a shout now. “And, by the way, EDWARD needing to know does not mean the entire room as well!” 

Bella instantly appeared at Rose’s side and put a hand on her arm, face unreadable. All the ladies were there then, and it hit me how many of them had been hurt in different ways. The only one of us that could truly identify with them was-

“Bella,” Jasper spoke stepping forward—Bella’s eyes snapped to him. “I’m so sorry, I just saw your scars back at Amun’s so Edward saw them too. I promise we never meant to bring it up in such a way.” He reached for the hem of his shirt before hesitating, “I know this doesn’t make up for it, but if you’ll allow me?” 

My mate cocked her head, forehead scrunched up. In one smooth motion, Jasper’s long sleeve shirt was off and we could all take in his scar riddled torso.

“I know it’s not the same, but I understand your body being a spectacle for the pitying, curious, or even fearful.” My brother said as Bella had made her way toward us, eventually grasping my hand and standing before Jasper.  
She took in his body only for a moment before looking up into his eyes instead. Then to the general shock of the room, she held out her other hand. Slowly, he took it in his own and I had to swallow my protective instincts. 

As I watched these two people—people I cared deeply about—stand there in stillness I knew I would never be able to fully, truly understand. They were survivors. Manipulated, used, and abused by others. In this moment it felt like they were recognizing each other as kindred spirits. 

Bella withdrew from the grip first to wrap both her hands around one of mine. Holding tightly she looked to Carlisle.

He nodded.

“Alright, I’ll get set up in the bedroom. Bella, I planned to have Jasper sitting outside the room to keep the situation calm, if that is alright with you. Would you like Tia or any of the other ladies to be there as well?”

She nodded and glanced at Tia who grabbed the small piece of flesh, which had been put back in its pouch at some point. Then the four of us were moving to the room, as Bella had still had my hand in a death grip. I realized again there had been some oversight.

“Bella, do you want me here?” I asked as we entered and she looked up at me startled. “I can wait outside with Jasper if you’d be more comfortable.” 

Her hand loosened in mine and for a moment I was afraid she would send me away, but I didn’t want to be here and cause distress just because she thought it was expected. But much like with my brother she just stared eyes flitting from one of mine to the other, reading me, I presumed.

Then she smiled. It was a small, shy thing, but still meant for me. And squeezing my hand she pulled me to where Tia was waiting by the bed.

We could hear Carlisle in the bathroom washing his hands as we sat down and he smiled as he re-entered. 

“It may not be necessary in this case, but you can’t kick the cleanliness out of the doctor.” He lifted his hands with a chuckle—perfect bedside manner, lightening the situation. “Now, let’s take a look at that mouth shall we?”

He crouched down in front of my brave girl, who after only a second of hesitation opened her mouth and looked toward the ceiling.

Even though he had no use for tools or a flashlight I could vividly picture them in Carlisle’s hands as he examined Bella. He muttered little sorrys or warnings as he began poking and prodding first the entrance of her mouth and then further back, ever the consummate doctor. 

His eyes jumped up to check on hers regularly, in between hmms and questions, two of which caught me off guard.

“Do you know how it was removed?” She shook her head no. “Were you conscious when it happened?” Again, no. She squeezed my hand tighter as a wave of unnatural calm washed over the room. The tornado of emotion rising in me was subdued. Bella closed her mouth a little as my father removed his hand.

However, I couldn’t just shake the thoughts of her waking up without a tongue or the fact that any number of horrors could have happened to her while she was unconscious too. Carlisle had merely hummed, not wanting to make her linger over bad memories. 

“Well, from what I see I suspect that we’ll need to reopen the wounds on both parts of your tongue. Though I've never heard of a vampire reattaching a part of themselves after so long,” so for all I know they could fit together like a magnet and that would be it, but I find it unlikely. We can try if you’d desire. . .” 

Bella nodded and once again opened her mouth. Ignoring his doubt, Carlisle brought up the tongue fragment and slid it carefully between her lips. 


	9. Afraid

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bella's tongue is reattached but still refuses to speak prompting a heartfelt moment between her and Edward. Something strange is going on though as Edward's family won't seem to stop mentally badgering him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I went back and updated the last chapter since I really didn't like where I'd cut it before. You may see a few things that seem familiar in the first few paragraphs because of this, but I changed a lot of the details since the surgery scene had also felt off to me. There were so many details I wanted to include but felt I couldn't do them all justice. In the end, I really disliked the things I decided to keep in the original so swapped them with the ideas I'd cut. 
> 
> I hope you like the updated version.

Immediately he knew it was pointless. Tapping the two pieces was like hitting two rocks together trying to make them stick. He sighed. “Alright then.” Pulling the tongue back out, the rest of our shoulders slumped while Carlisle’s straightened professionally. “Not the best news, but not unexpected either.” 

“Preparing the detached part of the tongue will be the easy part, it is the inner part that we will have to use some trial on.” With how far back her tongue was, he was almost certain that he couldn't use teeth to scrape open the wound—as unsavory as the idea was—but equally was uncertain a fingernail would be strong enough to do it. “What I do know is that it will be painful for you.”

Carlisle’s words were clear but compassionate and my mate nodded straightening her shoulders. Before anything, Carlisle tested the ability of his fingernail against the detached tongue. A screeching sound whistled through the room as his thumb created one thin raw stripe.  
It had worked! At a single thought from him I squeezed Bella’s hand and went to wash my own, returning less than a minute later.

“Thank you Edward.” Carlisle handed me the detached portion to prepare and then turned to my mate. “Normally I might have you lie back for this, but that may make your tongue fall back as well, so If you don’t mind we’ll just have you stay as you are.” Then turned his attention inward. 

Again apologizing to Bella—who had screwed her eyes shut—for any pain he may cause, with a mental cue to me we began. He didn’t want to give the wounds even a second to start healing up before reattachment. 

Scrape after scrape, sounds like screeching metal or chalk on a chalkboard echoed through the whole apartment. Jasper’s peace escalated until it was flowing through the room like water as Bella clung to my arm only whimpering once as Carlisle started. The process was actually very quick, though it didn’t seem that way.

Holding out his hand, I handed my father the fragment which he immediately put in her mouth, holding it steady. 

One second. Ten seconds. Thirty seconds. Then he was removing his hand oh so slowly. 

“Now, you’ll want to be careful but you can close your mouth now,” Carlisle said with a small smile as Bella’s mouth slid shut. “It will take at least a few minutes to bind completely since the venom is only flowing from one direction, so try not to move it too much at first.”

Bella nodded but with her eyes still closed it was impossible to get a read on her as the seconds and minutes rolled by. _Edward_ a voice called to my mind and I suddenly realized it had been there for a while, I’d just been so focused on Bella that I hadn’t been paying attention. 

“Now why don’t you give that a feel,” Carlisle prompted, timidly my mate’s lips and cheeks started to twitch and flex.” _Edward stop ignoring me!_ Alice’s mental voice practically shouted one again. 

I gritted my teeth. Couldn’t she understand I was doing something important? _Something’s going to happen and I nee-._

“Whenever you’re ready Bella, try and say something.” Carlisle encouraged, but Bella’s eyes flew open not with happiness or relief. No, they were filled with sheer panic. Even Jasper couldn’t smother it.

“Bella?” I asked and Alice persisted. _Edward can you hear-?_

My mate broke down in great heaving sobs and her hands flew up, covering her mouth. 

“Bella, what’s wrong? Are you in pain? Does it not feel right?” I pleaded with her to help me understand but she just shook her head over and over.

“Son, I don’t think this is something physical,” Carlisle whispered aloud, shooting a questioning glance that my mate ignored. He nodded as if receiving confirmation and motioned to Tia, “We’ll be waiting in the living room with everyone whenever you’re ready.”

As soon as the door clicked behind them I knelt in front of Bella taking in her pained eyes unable to shed tears and knowing from Jasper how afraid she was feeling.

“Bella.” Once again her eyes clenched shut and another sob escaped her. “No love, please. Don’t shut me out. Your beautiful eyes are the only window I have into what you’re thinking.” 

She gave another sob and hung her head, but she did open her eyes, looking up into mine. I wished I could feel anything as positive as victory. In fact, I wished many things.

“I wish I could understand what you are going through right now.” Her gaze fell to the floor defeatedly. “You’ve been through so much—more than most people can imagine. I wish I could take that burden from you—go back in time and take your place,” Her head shot up eyes wide with horror, “Spare you from the pain and abuse.”

Cupping my face with her hands she shook her head in a vehement no.

“I don’t think you quite understand how much you mean to me. I’ve spent over a century alone on this earth and I would do anything-” Slender perfect fingers suddenly rested on my lips halting my speech. Slowly they moved away as her hand slid over my jaw, neck, and shoulder, following my arm until she held my hand in hers.

The other hand continued to stroke my cheek and she brought our joined hands to her chest, resting just over her heart. I suddenly realized Jasper must have left the door, because I couldn’t get a read on how he sensed Bella, but also because I didn’t need his gift to feel the love that was pouring out of her eyes into me.

I brought up my other hand brushing her hair back behind her shoulder and caressing her face in return.

“Are you. . .afraid to speak?” I whispered and, biting her bottom lip, she nodded. “Because you’re afraid you won’t be able to?” Again she nodded but this time with a shrug I just knew meant she thought she was being silly. 

“Bella, you have every right to how you feel. So much has happened in just the past few hours alone. Anyone would be struggling and most probably would have broken down by now.” 

“You are so strong and brave, love. I wish you could see it. But know this. If a word never passes your lips, it will not change the way i feel about you. I’m here to stay and if that means we use sign language or learn morse code toge-” Again I was cut off, but this time by my mate’s unimaginably soft lips.

It took me a moment to process what was happening but then my hand slid from her cheek to cup her neck and give myself over to the sensations of our first kiss. 

“EDWARD!” The only problem was my family. Why was Alice so impatient?  
You’d think that after decades of wishing I would get a mate they would all SHOVE OFF and let me be but no. It seemed like everyone was trying to get my attention now, their voices all jumbled trying to tell me. . .

Ripping myself away from the kiss but holding Bella tighter I gasped, “Oh no.”

I’d been so focused on Bella—first the procedure and then their heart to heart—that I’d been tuning everyone in the living area out. Only now that I was paying attention did I realize there were more minds than expected. Jumping up but keeping Bella’s hand firmly in mine I rushed us both out of the bedroom with a brief, “They’re here.”

I expected to find everything in chaos but what we encountered was stranger than anything I’d seen before. The room was mostly empty except for a few detached limbs, Alice pirouetting around like a ballerina on steroids, and a wall of fire in the corner that didn't consume anything. 

Rather it acted as a shield surrounding the disembodied thoughts of Esme, Emmett—who was apparently missing his hands, Tia—holding a hand to her healing neck while a stump of an elbow bled venom, and Ben—who was holding the wall with his leg bent crookedly.

An invisible Rosalie and Carlisle were both fighting, holding on to a struggling person I knew to be Kebi, but they only could guess at since they couldn’t see her _or_ each other. Thankfully they’d been visible when the fight started so at least knew not to attack the other. Jasper’s thoughts were ominously missing.

“Oh thank God!” Alice cried, never ceasing her movements. Seth was chasing her with single-minded determination. “I’ve been trying to get your help for- Edward duck!” Immediately I threw myself down, dragging Bella with me. An invisible hand caught the ends of my hair pulling some out by the roots as I yanked myself free.

Amun’s frustration leaked through his thought’s behind me and I realized just how good he really was at trying to conceal his thoughts. I hadn’t even realized he was there!

“Alice, what can we do?” I screamed trying to fend off my invisible assailant. 

“Just don’t let yourself get touched!” She replied and then gasped as several things happened at once. Seth changed his target, Kebi somehow got her teeth sunk into Rose’s neck, Alice jumped in front of Bella, and Amun dived at me again. 

My sister’s—one screaming in pain and the other popping out of existence like a light bulb turning off—distracted me just long enough for Amun to get his hand about my throat and Seth to decide it was better to touch me instead.

Suddenly with Seth’s fingers on my back, I could see everything. Amun’s snarling face and Alice trying to pull him off while being essentially blind. The ones trapped in the corner, all but Esme injured. And then Seth let go and it was all gone. I couldn’t even see myself with my own eyes, only Bella who was holding my hand in a death grip, eyes wide with horror.

Then Amun jerked his arms and I couldn’t even do that. The last thing that registered was an unfamiliar voice filled with terror and pain screaming, “No!” And it all went black.


	10. Bella

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everything comes to a head and, with Edward out of commission, Bella is left to face Amun on her own.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the last chapter (YAY!) and it's a long one for this story. Still have an epilogue to come, but I am just pleased to have gotten this wrapped up, rough and unedited as it is. Hope you've enjoyed and stay tuned for more content!

“Seth, stop this!” I screamed as I clung to Edward’s body, his head soaring through the air to land with a thunk in the middle of the room. 

I knew that even without my vampiric memory I would never forget that sight. My mate’s severed head, face frozen in pain.

Suddenly people appeared all over the room. Esme darted forward now that the fire was gone and grabbed Edward’s head as Alice zipped down the hallway, I assumed to find her missing mate.

Everyone else seemed to be injured in some way except for Amun and Seth. They stood on either side of me perfectly whole, though wearing vastly different expressions. 

"Bella you can talk!" Seth's face was stunned. Revelation ran through me, I _had_ spoken. My voice rang perfect and clear after all these years, not wasted or forgotten. Amun’s face was pure fury. 

“Yes. I can,” I said, rooted to the spot. Perhaps in the past I would have fled, put myself as far from Amun as possible, but that was when he was only hurting me. 

“Seth, grab your sister and let’s get-.”

“I am not going _anywhere_ with you,” I replied, meeting his eyes and trying not to flinch. Everything in me begged to go to Esme and scoop up the face of the man who I barely knew, and yet had come to care so much about. However that meant passing by my maker.

Still clutching Edward’s body, my foot slid a hairsbreadth in that direction. 

“But Bella, we’re your family.” Seth came forward and grabbed my arm looking stunned. Thankfully this time he didn’t enact his gift. “And how is this even possible?”

“ _You_ are my family Seth. Amun is _not_. My inability to speak for the past eleven years is proof enough that he is a torment to me.” Seth’s eyes widened with confusion. “He lied brother, but to you most of all. I’ve never been to Volterra or let alone met anyone in the Volturi.”

“What?” 

Amun growled but the others in the room were healed or almost so. The big one’s hands were still healing as was Tia’s arm, but with Carlisle and Rosalie holding Kebi he didn’t dare make a move on his own against so many of my new. . .friends?. .. Family? 

I couldn’t quite fathom who they were to me yet. I’d known them for less than a day and barely spent time with any of them except Edward. Well, and Carlisle I guessed. Esme had been very kind too, making me feel mothered in the most gentle way possible. 

Then there was Rosalie who’d stood up for me without a thought and Jasper who understood a part of me that I never thought anyone could. The realization hit me. How was it possible that I could fit in with this family so seamlessly? Connect with them so quickly? I hadn’t even talked to them!

Sure the big one I hadn’t really interacted with, and Alice was a bit overwhelming, but in general these people already felt more like a home than I’d had in decades. Emboldened, I answered my brother.

“Before you were turned, Amun and Kebi took me on a trip. I had had a very difficult life with them and thought I might use the opportunity to run away, but your safety was at risk, so I couldn’t. Anyway, we met with a vampire, somewhere in northern Asia, who could sense someone’s potential. He told Amun what he wanted to know, the whole reason he’d changed me in the first place.”

“But Amun didn’t change you,” Seth cut in. “That other vampire did!” 

“That other vampire was my mother’s uncle, and he never intended me any harm. Amun destroyed him and bit me after because he wanted the power he thought I might possess.” 

“Ridiculous!” Amun spat, venom flying in his rage as I continued with my story and inched around him. “ _I_ gave you the most precious gift you’ve ever received and you squandered it!” 

“The trip confirmed it for him. Not only was I a mental shield, but I could learn to control it, grow it, use it to shield others. On our way back he forced me to feed and I fell into one of my episodes.”

“Ungrateful brat! You sneered at immortality and turned your back on our nature.” He spoke louder to try and cover my words.

“When I woke up, my tongue was gone and you were already halfway into your transformation.” Just as I passed him, he seemed to lose control. 

“I gave you eternity and you couldn’t even muster enough gratitude to do the one thing I asked of you!” Anger exploded out of him and Amun lunged at me.

However he didn’t get the chance to lay even a finger on me as Seth darted between us and Benjamin suddenly grabbed his arms from behind. I rushed toward my goal then gingerly laid my mate’s body on the ground. Esme put his head into place with extreme care and then grabbed my hand as we watched the pieces slowly knit back together.

“Seth, what are you doing?” Amun demanded. “They are thieves, power hungry and-” 

“That’s enough out of you.” Tia shouted from where she was now helping Carlisle and Rose to hold a thrashing Kebi. 

“They will take your sister, you’ll never see her again!” 

Torn between staying at Edward’s side and going back to my brother, I stood.

“Brother, don't believe him.” I said firm in my resolve. “The Cullen’s are good people, and Edward _is_ my mate. He would never do anything to hurt me and that includes keeping me away from you.” I glanced down, again processing how quickly this man had changed my life. His neck was healing quickly. “And Seth they hunt animals. We don’t have to murder. Look,” I gestured to my eyes, “they’ve already helped me feed.”

“INSANE. They’ve already been brainwashing her! See? Every word out of her mouth is deceived. We must act now before it’s too-”

“Amun has never told you anything but lies little brother. For years he threatened me with your safety to keep me in line and when he was certain you must be gifted like I was, he had you join us and made sure I wouldn’t be able to tell you the truth.” My voice hitched at the memories, “He controls through manipulation, deceit, and pain. We are nothing but pawns to use in his bid for power.” 

“W-What?” Seth stumbled back from the emotional shock of everything I was implying. 

“You bitch!” Kebi shouted, everyone’s heads whipped toward her. Her teeth were bared and eyes full of absolute loathing. “God, I wish we’d burned your tongue when we had the chance. Better yet drank you dry when you were still human.” I could practically feel the jaws dropping in the room, but Kebi’s animosity was nothing new to me. Seth fell to his knees. “You deserved everything you got and _more_!” 

In a second, Tia had her mouth around Kebi’s neck silencing her for good. Amun let out a snarling scream.

“You will pay for that!”

“No.” I said clearly, turning to look him in the eyes steadily. “No more punishments, no more threats.”

Benjamin, who had been holding Amun back all this time, watched me closely, question in his eyes. I knew what he was asking and breathed deeply, nodding. I had to make sure no one else was ever put through the things I had been.

“You will not harm anyone ever again.” Was all Benjamin said before yanking our maker's arms hard enough to create deep cracks around the shoulder joint. He would have had to release one arm to have enough force to completely pull them off, but apparently it wasn’t needed. 

Fire raced up Amun’s torn sleeves and as soon as it reached the cracks, he ignited. His screams were things of horror and torment as the flames consumed him from the inside out. I rushed to my brother who still knelt on the ground and threw my arms around him pressing his face to my shoulder. I couldn’t block out the sounds but he didn’t need to see this. 

I caught only one more glimpse of flames and purple smoke pouring from Amun’s eyes and mouth, stretched wide in agony, before hiding my own face as well.

I stayed there, eyes screwed closed until the screams grew quiet and a gentle hand touched my shaking shoulder. Seth was sobbing. I looked up to see Carlisle crouched beside us. 

“It’s finished Bella,” His quiet voice was soothing. “Edward is starting to come around if you’d like to be with him.” I nodded and nudged Seth.

“Come with me?” I asked, rising to my feet and offering my hand. “I’d like to introduce you.”  
My brother looked dejectedly up at me. “No one will blame you, I promise.” His expression didn’t change, but he did take my hand.

The smoking pile of limbs and ash was still burning away, I could distinctly see one of Kebi’s hands poking out of the pyre. It turned my head, back toward Edward who was blinking awake. I had more important things to focus on than my tormentors’ demise.

“Bella,” Edward’s voice was soft, gaze pulling me in as we sat down. His eyes were much darker than before, closer now to my own topaz, rather brilliant gold.

“Edward.” My voice almost broke as I reached for his hand, the enormity of what had happened and could have happened, hitting me. 

His eyes lit up as I spoke and he smiled. His whole face was soft with what I could only describe as love. Taking our joined hands, he lifted them to his lips. “It’s alright love. I’m fine we’re both here and they can’t touch you again.”

With a sob I curled over him, needing to be closer, and buried my head in his scarred neck. His arms came around me as I cried. Soothing hushes and reassurances were breathed into my ear. I’d never felt safer.

When I pulled back he tried to follow me prompting Carlisle to help him sit up, giving his neck one last cursory examination. With a brief but obviously firm hug, he left us to it.

“Seth, I’d like for you to meet Edward. Edward, this is my brother.” 

“Hello Seth, It’s good to officially meet you. . .again.” He held out his hand, extending not only a western greeting but also grace to my little brother, who took it hesitantly. “I don’t hold anything against you Seth. I understand and, in your position, may have done the same thing.” 

Edward’s voice was firm and I realized he must be reading my brother’s mind. “In fact, I hope that in the future you can grow to see me as a brother, not just your sister’s mate.” Seth nodded and for a moment I could see the fifteen-year-old boy in his eyes, longing for that brotherly affection, but then he dropped Edward’s hand and turned to me contemplatively. 

“Does this mean you are leaving with them?” I glanced up at Edward, wondering the same thing myself. Was I leaving with the practical strangers that had turned my life upside down in just a few hours? I certainly wanted to. Egypt was too full of painful memories. 

“I don’t know, we haven’t gotten to talk about anything yet really. But the important thing is that you and I will always be family.” I pulled him to me in a fierce hug, “No matter where in the world we are; if we’re together or apart, _you_ are my _brother_ , Seth. Whatever comes will just be a new chapter filled with more people who care about us than we could have imagined.” I leaned back, “Alight?”

“Yeah,” Seth gave a half-grin, eyes a little sad, then Edward put an arm around each of us.

“Don’t worry Seth, you’re stuck with the Cullen’s now, and Emmett is going to make sure we don’t leave until he can pay you back for all the stunts you’ve pulled tonight.”

“Too right I am!” Emmett called from where he was helping clean up the ashy remains. “We are sparing as soon as all of this blows over kid, and none of that mystical, ghost cheating bull!”

Several people let out laughs or groans, but I was just happy to see a smile spread across Seth's face.


	11. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Short and Sweet. (I hope.)
> 
> Starting on a Star Wars fic soon as well as continuing with "In Love With A King".

“And pinned!” Benjamin yelled as Emmett held Seth to the floor after a brief twenty seconds. 

It had been six months since that fateful night in Cairo, and our family had moved up to Jerusalem for the time being, with Seth, Ben, and Tia visiting regularly. 

“That’s my man!” Rosalie said jumping into Emmett’s arms and laying on an almost obscene celebratory kiss on him. Everyone groaned. Even with a mate of my own, I still found their displays over the top.

“Don’t worry Seth,” Jasper said, swinging an arm around the younger boy’s shoulders. “A few training sessions with me and you’ll be able to best him in no time.” My war-torn brother had his sleeves rolled up, revealing the new scars at his wrists and elbows but the rest were concealed under his clothes. It still made my whole family shudder to think about how close we came to losing him that day. 

Alice stood smiling beside me, far more subdued than her former self. Jasper had been a pile of limbs when she got to him and we all thanked God Amun hadn’t had a lighter. The aftermath of that night had been insane; carrying a half put together Jasper out into the desert for when he woke up. A whole herd of camels had been decimated. 

Then there was the staged fire, complete with broken bottle and cigarette stub, to cover up the real one, and the enormous check we’d written to the hotel. Alice had been far more circumspect with her visions since then, and with her watching over Jasper, the rest of us had had to decide very quickly where to go. That was when Bella told us of her origins. 

She wasn’t sure if the house would still be there, since it technically belonged to her before she “died”, but she’d actually been born in Jerusalem to her Jewish born mother and Italian Catholic father. She had been eight when her mother had been killed in a street shooting and her father had moved them to Egypt to get away from the hurt. 

He’d met his second wife only two years later and then Seth had come along. Apparently they had both died in the car crash Amun orchestrated when he had decided to change Seth, none of which the boy had known was set up.

Either way, when Bella and I were discussing options, this had seemed the best next step. Close enough for Seth to come with us or at least visit if he chose, and a familiar place for Bella to work through the past two decades. 

Things had been going well. Carlisle was working at a hospital again, Esme was dipping into the historical architecture of the region while planning a new house, my siblings were indulging their passions and curiosities in this unique place, and Bella was slowly opening up. 

I knew it would likely be years before she could unburden it all, if she even wanted to. I suspected she was still keeping some of the darker moments to herself, not wanting to give anyone else pain.

She had told us of Amun’s plan though, the whole purpose behind what he had done to her. He had been plotting to overthrow the Volturi and make them pay for destroying the rest of the ancient Egyptian Coven. 

Bella had been the key to evading so many of the most dangerous guards; Jane, Alec, Chelsea, Demitri, and even Aro himself. However to do so she needed to be able to expand her gift to cover all of them, that had been the thing she refused to do.

This was the thing Amun had hidden from everyone. Seth was to be used for the element of surprise, getting past everyone and Ben was to bring it all to the ground, topple the castle with his gifts and rain down fire to ensure no one escaped. 

Amun, with just three vampires, had the tools to take on the entire Volturi and exact vengeance; if only Bella would have obeyed.

My brave, brave girl, it still hurt to think about everything she’d been through.

However, as I glanced up at the balcony where she, Esme, and Tia were watching us guys goof around, I couldn’t help but think how much lighter she seemed.

She laughed and joked, her eyes free of the haunted look they sometimes got. I hoped it would disappear entirely, though from Rose and Esme’s minds I knew that wasn’t realistic.

All that mattered now was that she was happy and free. Though the memories would never fade, we could take comfort in the knowledge that they were in the past and face them together. 

Even more important for me, was remembering that despite my wish to erase what happened to her, Bella’s experiences had made her into the woman I loved. After all if just that one night had marked my whole family, how much more had seven thousand marked her?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Honestly, I'm itching to get onto the next thing but I tried to make sure not to rush. Getting all of the most important details in without too much unnecessary background stuff was hard to discern, but I'm happy with the result. I hope you've enjoyed this, as rough and unedited as it is!


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